Community

Ignore the Content

In Community, Design, TILTHW, Work on 13 January 2009 with 20 comments

Sometimes, when dealing with an interpersonal conflict, logically addressing the complaints is that last thing that will help. Instead, try to address the emotion behind it.

Elsewhere: Story in .net Magazine

In Clips, Community, Elsewhere on 13 January 2009 with Comments Off

I wrote this story for .net Magazine last year. I believe it was published in the December 2008 issue. Looks like it just made it online.

Keep your Web 2.0 community happy
Running a web community can be fun and rewarding, but you’re always reliant on the good faith of your members. So what happens when rogue [...]

Video of Me @ FOWD

In Community, Crowdsourcing, Event, Interface, Internet, Video, Wisdom of Crowds on 12 December 2008 with 6 comments

Last month I presented at Future of Web Design 2008 NYC. Now the Carson folks have put the video online. Have a look!

Online Advertising without Douchebaggery

In Advertising, Community, Internet on 6 December 2008 with 12 comments

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the sad case of the Bike Hero video which turned out to be a fake, created by an ad agency to promote the already insanely popular Guitar Hero game. When the video was outed as an ad, it resulted in the expected unhappiness, as well as a few [...]

FOWD: My Crowdsourcing Presentation

In Community, Conferences, Crowdsourcing, Event on 4 November 2008 with 9 comments

I just wrapped up my presentation at Future of Web Design 2008 NYC and it was a blast! As I promised the crowd, here are my slides (in PDF format). They may not make much sense without me talking around them, but you can still enjoy the dog photos.

Meaning-Making Machines

In Community, Emotions, Psychology, Wisdom of Crowds on 4 October 2008 with 7 comments

Grandma Powazek once told me why she stopped making cucumber salad. She’d been chopping cucumbers when her hands started to hurt. She thought the cucumbers caused the pain.
It’s logical, of course. Her hands hurt when she was chopping, and felt better when they weren’t. It’s also completely wrong. Her hands hurt because she was [...]

Upcoming Appearances

In Community, Conferences, Design, Event on 29 September 2008 with Comments Off

I’m really excited about a few upcoming appearances. I’ll be speaking on community and design at some of the best conferences around.

An Event Apart, Chicago, 13-14 October
The Wisdom of Communities
The web’s greatest gift is that it gives everyone a voice, but how you design and manage community features will determine if you get a chorus [...]

Just One Question for Jason Schultz

In Community, Internet, Just One Question, Law on 30 July 2008 with 3 comments

One of the things that always comes up when I talk to people at companies about community systems is the fear that getting involved with the comments on their site makes them more liable. I’ve denied it until I was blue in the face, but they don’t always believe me. So I decided to ask [...]

Concluding the Comment Culture Clash Cacophony

In Community, Internet on 29 July 2008 tagged Media with Comments Off

Jeff Jarvis sums up the debate nicely with an open letter to Bob Garfield.
But note well, my friend, that all of these people are speaking to you with intelligence, experience, generosity, and civility. You know what’s missing? Two things: First, the sort of nasty comments your own piece decries. And second: You.
His closing thoughts [...]

10 Ways Newspapers Can Improve Comments

In Community, How to, Internet on 28 July 2008 tagged Media with 28 comments

The other day Bob Garfield had a good kvetch about dumb comments on newspaper websites on his show, On The Media, and I posted my two cents, but I still don’t feel better. I think that’s because Bob’s partly right: comments do suck sometimes.
So, instead of just poking him for sounding like Grandpa Simpson, I’d [...]